bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

quizIds

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

paywallTypes

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Lisa Cam

Every day, Singaporean executive chef Liew Tian Heong personally tries the Chatterbox Cafe’s famed Hainan chicken rice.
“You have to taste and test every day to make sure the standards are kept,” says Liew.
Chatterbox Cafe has been operating in the Mandarin Orchard hotel in Singapore since 1971 and it was the first restaurant to present hawker fare in a luxurious hotel setting.
The restaurant’s Mandarin chicken rice is the signature and has been drawing tourists and Singapore natives through the Chatterbox Cafe doors ever since it opened.

In 2019, Chatterbox Cafe opened its first Hong Kong branch at the K11 Musea shopping centre in Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon. It has just opened a second in The Wai, a new shopping centre in Tai Wai in the New Territories.
“I’ve worked at this restaurant for 30 years. I joined Chatterbox in 1998 and became executive chef in 2018,” says Liew. “We have never stopped refining our recipes, improving the taste and method of cooking all the time. We made the rice in the Hainan chicken dish less oily for health reasons.”

For those unfamiliar with the dish, the rice component of Hainan chicken rice is made with a recipe that usually involves cooking the grain with sesame oil, chicken fat and chicken broth.
To many Hainan chicken rice fans, it is the rice that is the star of the show. With that in mind, does reducing the oil affect the flavour of the famous dish?
Well … it does. The rice in Chatterbox’s dish is less flavourful than other versions prepared conventionally. However, there is a method to chef Liew’s adjustments – there is a specific way to eat Chatterbox’s Hainan chicken rice which can help a diner fully appreciate the recipe’s finesse.

“You first put a piece of chicken on top of a spoonful of rice,” he explains. “Then you dab as much or as little of the three sauces to your liking and eat it all in one mouthful.”
Your senses are first hit with the medley of sauces, then the silky texture of the chicken takes over and the bouquet of the chicken rice blooms at the back of the palate.
In short, it is everything diners love about Hainan chicken rice in one bite.

Liew was last in Hong Kong in 2019, before the global coronavirus pandemic, to open the city’s first Chatterbox Cafe branch. One thing that he has noticed on his return to the city after four years is the prevalence of Southeast Asian cuisine in the city.
“I found that there’s more Singaporean cuisine in Hong Kong now, I think. It’s not fine dining. It’s casual, comfort food and I think Hong Kong people are warming up to our cuisine.”
To entice diners to Tai Wai, the executive chef has created two new dishes that will remain exclusive to the branch in The Wai. One is stir-fried ocean prawns with crispy oatmeal and the other is Singapore assam sea bass.

“I brought two common dishes from Singapore. You see these dishes everywhere but everyone has their own version or cooking style for them,” says Liew.
“In Singapore, assam fish could mean just some chilli, oil and fish, but I decided to represent assam in a curry here. While it stays true to the assam flavours, there is a fragrant saucy curry to go with it.”
The assam curry, which contains thick cuts of sea bass, has a spicy kick. Accompanying vegetables such as okra and aubergine soak up the sauce and the curry goes well with rice.

The oatmeal prawn dish is packed with shell-on prawns that hold a sweet and savoury flavour. It is the quality of the shellfish that makes this dish enjoyable, and our prawns were big and meaty.
What is important to the veteran chef is that his food can be enjoyed every day.
“You don’t need to wait for a special occasion; we have a variety of food here. There are noodles and rice and lots of other dishes that can be enjoyed on their own. Everyone can eat here all the time,” says Liew.


Hong Kong’s historical shops preserve city’s unique charm and craftsmanship

6 tips to eat well in Japan, including dodging the ramen trap, ditching Google and TikTok

What options do unpaid workers have in Hong Kong if business shuts up shop?

All about ginger, young and old. How to pickle it and a recipe that makes the most of it

Food and Drinks

A Hainan chicken rice with less oil that is just as good: Chatterbox Cafe’s executive chef on tweaking a classic and Hong Kong’s embrace of Southeast Asian cuisine

Chef Liew Tian Heong at Chatterbox Cafe in Tai Wai, the second of two branches in Hong Kong. The Singaporean executive chef tries its Hainan chicken rice every day to test the flavour. He changed the recipe to make the rice less oily. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

The Mandarin chicken rice at Chatterbox Cafe in Tai Wai. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Chef Liew Tian Heong at Chatterbox Cafe in Tai Wai. Liew was last in Hong Kong in 2019. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

The Mandarin chicken rice at Chatterbox Cafe in Tai Wai. The rice is less oily than in a usual Hainan chicken rice dish. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Chef Liew Tian Heong at Chatterbox Cafe in Tai Wai. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Singapore assam sea bass at Chatterbox Cafe in Tai Wai. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Stir-fried ocean prawns with crispy oatmeal at Chatterbox Cafe in Tai Wai. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

10 of the best Singaporean restaurants in Hong Kong – for laksa, bak kut teh, Hainanese chicken rice and more

Traditional chilli crab at Singaporean restaurant JOM in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. Photo: JOM

Satay Inn, with branches in Tuen Mun and Aberdeen, is well known for its classic Singaporean offerings including its namesake skewers. Photo: Satay Inn

Whey’s brioche, buah keluak emulsion. Photo: Whey

Whey’s signature Maoshan Wang durian ice cream. Photo: Whey

Auor’s Saturday lunch special of mala roasted chicken and Hainanese chicken rice. Photo: Auor

Fried fish bee hoon at Atas. Photo: Atas

Rempah’s buttery kaya toast. Photo: Rempah

JOM’s chwee kueh (steamed rice cakes) are topped with spicy preserved turnip and served with a side of home-made sambal. Photo: JOM

JOM’s reimagined chilli crab is easier to eat, picked and served atop fried mantou buns. Photo: JOM

JOM also serves traditional chilli crab. Photo: JOM

Singaporean chef Edward Voon is behind modern French restaurant Auor in Wan Chai. Photo: Auor

Shenzhen’s international dining scene grows as Michelin-star restaurant chefs open up shop in what was once Hong Kong’s culinary ‘poorer cousin’

Chef Antimo Merone from Estro, an Italian restaurant in Hong Kong, opened an Italian restaurant called Terra Madre in Shenzhen in November 2022. Photo: Terra Madre

Iberico suckling pig at Mesa, a recently opened Spanish restaurant in Shenzhen. The Chinese city was once considered Hong Kong’s “poorer cousin” when it came to food, but things are changing as more Western restaurants open there. Photo: Mesa 

Chicken au torchon with preserved black truffle at French restaurant L’Avenue, in Shenzhen. Photo: L’Avenue

Chef Ricardo Chaneton at Mesa, a Spanish restaurant with South American influences, in Shenzhen. Photo: Mesa 

Chef Antimo Merone, of Hong Kong restaurant Estro, opened an Italian restaurant called Terra Madre in Shenzhen in November 2022. Photo: Terra Madre

Homemade pappardelle with ragout and wagyu beef cheek at Terra Madre. Photo: Terra Madre

Arran McCredie of L’Avenue. Photo: L’Avenue

Christopher Kostow of Ensue, in Shenzhen. Photo: Ensue

Shenzhen’s Luohu District, an area of the city Yip recommends heading for authentic Chinese food. Photo: Getty Images

The interior of Shang Garden at the Futian Shangri-La hotel. Photo: Shangri-La Hotel

Fried Italian rice with Teochew aged preserved radish and sea urchin at Shang Garden at the Futian Shangri-La hotel. Photo: David Yip

Sea urchin 5J ham and palmito roll with sea urchin at Shang Garden. Photo: David Yip

Malay food champion hails its reinvention and elevation from hawker centre to fine-dining fare

Malay cuisine restaurant Seroja’s Traders Rice with Percik beef short ribs and a selection of side dishes, an example of the reinvention of old dishes under way. Photo: Seroja

Khir Johari is the award-winning author of “The Food of Singapore Malays”. Photo courtesy of Khir Johari

Malay cuisine, its exotic ingredients and foraging was put centre stage as Khir Johari’s book The Food of Singapore Malays won four awards at the Gourmand World Food Culture Awards. Above: Restaurant Fiz’s Botan Ebi. Photo: Restaurant Fiz

Malay cuisine, its exotic ingredients and foraging was put centre stage when Khir Johari’s book The Food of Singapore Malays won four prizes in the Gourmand World Food Culture Awards. He celebrates the chefs presenting old dishes in new ways. Photo: Khir Johari

Darren Teoh runs the kitchen at contemporary Malaysian restaurant Dewakan, in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: Dewakan

Singaporean Khir Johari’s book, “The Food of Singapore Malays: Gastronomic Travels Through the Archipelago” won four prizes at the 2023 Gourmand World Food Culture Awards. Photo: Khir Johari

Restaurant Fiz’s chef-owner Hafizzul Hashim, who was born and brought up in Malaysia, draws on his cultural heritage for his dishes. Photo: Restaurant Fiz

The cover of Khir Johari’s book. Photo: Khir Johari

Dewakan’s mackerel, quinine and flowers. Photo: Dewakan

Warong Nasi Pariaman in Singapore is known for nasi Padang (rice with numerous cold dishes from Padang in Sumatra). Photo: Instagram / @warongnasipariaman

Trader’s rice with percik beef short ribs and a selection of side dishes from Seroja, in Singapore. Photo: Seroja

Sambal Hijau serves a wide variety of traditional Malaysian Malay dishes. Photo: Instagram / @restoransambalhijau

The Gulai House at Datai Langkawi in Malaysia serves traditional Malay meals in a rainforest setting. Photo: Datai Langkawi

Kaum Jakarta is known for its pan-archipelago cuisine, and a rotating menu that highlights different facets of Indonesian cuisine. Photo: Instagram / @kaumrestaurant

Bungarampai, in an old colonial-style building in central Jakarta, Indonesia, is a popular place for weddings and known for its Nusantara (Southeast Asian) cuisine. Photo: Instagram / @Bungarampai.restaurant

14 best new restaurants and cafes to try in Hong Kong in August 2023, for Michelin-star tempura from Japan, Thai street food, treats for you and your dog, and more

Thai-style curry crab. Photo: Khao San

A new branch of Thai restaurant Khao San at The Wai mall in Tai Wai, in Hong Kong’s New Territories, is among this month’s restaurant openings in the city. Photo: Khao San

A selection of dim sum at Azure 80. Photo: Azure 80

Deep-fried diced chicken and lobster with chilli at Azure 80. Photo: Azure 80

Roast duck at Cview. Photo: Cview

Slow-cooked crispy pork at The Square. Photo: The Square

The interior of Longtail in Causeway Bay. Photo: Longtail Thai

Rambo the Corgi is Stumpy Bakery’s mascot and the inspiration behind the cafe. Photo: Stumpy Bakery

Lunchboxes at AFK. Photo: AFK

Thai-style curry crab at Khao San. Photo: Khao San

The dining room at Nove Galleria. Photo: Nove Galleria

Blanched pork liver and kidneys and Lung Chong. Photo: Lung Chong

The outdoor area at Shake Shack’s new Kwai Fong location. Photo: Shake Shack

Iced Pandan Cococoffee is exclusive to Noc’s new location at The Wai. Photo: Noc

Michelin Guide Singapore triple awardee Kevin Wong on his four-hands dinner with Barry Quek at Whey in Hong Kong, and the inspiration for his restaurant Seroja

Seroja’s Chef-Owner Kevin Wong. &#xA;&#xA;Credit: Seroja

Seroja’s Borneo raw sugar bahulu cake. Photo: Seroja

Seroja’s kitchen team. Seroja became the first restaurant in Singapore to be awarded the Michelin Green Star. Photo: Seroja

The inside of Seroja. Photo: Seroja

Seroja’s Johorean goat milk ice. Photo: Seroja

Seroja’s Hokkaido scallop with a trio of sauces. Photo: Seroja

Seroja’s traders rice with Percik beef short ribs and a selection of side dishes. Photo: Seroja

With Seroja, Wong draws inspiration from the region’s cultural melting pot and distils the flavours of his childhood into something new. Photo: Seroja

Lifestyle

Food & Drink

Liew Tian Heong, the executive chef at Singapore’s Chatterbox Cafe, never stops tweaking his recipes – and that includes a classic, Hainan chicken rice
While his version has less oily rice, it is just as good – as are the two new dishes he has come up with for the newest branch of the restaurant in Hong Kong


‘We made the rice in the Hainan chicken dish less oily,’ says Chatterbox Cafe’s executive chef Liew Tian Heong – and while it changes the taste, the dish is just as good.
